MINA SMITH, WRITER & CREATOR

​One of the number one questions I get as a freelancer is "How did you get started?" It's not easy, and it takes a lot of work, which is not what people usually want to hear.

"How did you get started making this beautiful garden?" "How did you guys manage to remodel this whole house by yourselves?" "How on earth did you manage to raise seven children all at once?"

If you expect any of those questions to end with anything other than a lot of hard word and dedication, people would laugh at you. A house doesn't rebuild itself overnight, children don't grow up in hours, and gardens don't get planted and bloom in mere minutes.

Neither does a freelance career.

​I think people are disappointed when I tell them that writing freelance isn't magic and unicorns. It is full of taking hours of thankless work, practicing your craft, reading, getting better at writing and editing, reading, brushing up on basic grammar, writing more, reading, and taking less than stellar jobs so you can get some reviews from clients. It's takes some not-getting-paid jobs and learning from your mistakes. It takes blood and tears and sweat.

It takes time.

So if you are looking to start a freelance career, here's some things you should expect:

​Getting Reviews:Finding potential clients can be difficult, but by signing up for freelancers sites like Guru, UpWork, or Freelancer, you can probably get a few gigs without much effort. Once you have a few positive reviews from clients, it will help you get more quickly.

Take Your Tests:If the freelancer sites you have been working for have the ability to take tests, do it. This will make you look better to potential clients and to the site itself, which might boost you into better positions for your trouble.

Start a Blog:Regardless of what kind of freelance work you want to do, start a blog to show how well you know your stuff. You can write a few paragraphs twice a week about updates in your industry, your thoughts on aspects of your industry, or even some personal anecdotes about your work. Keep it professional and appropriate for your audience though!

Contact, Contact, Contact:Send your resume to everyone you can think of. Blogs, magazines, big companies, wedding sites, conventions, and anyone else who might need your services. This cold calling is like a job in itself, but it can be worth it for that one big gig to get your foot in the door!

Practice What You Sell:This is so important! Don't let your recent samples become older and older while you wait for work to fall in your lap. Don't work for others for free, but make sure to leave a few hours to work on your projects for you! This will hone your skills and keep you looking good in the market.

All stories and articles, etc here are written and copyright me unless otherwise stated. All photos are either mine, and copyrighted, or they are from FreeImages.com, a free stock image site. Visit them and support them, for they are awesome.